And then October happened

I went back to work on October 3rd. Could you tell?

In order to properly celebrate turning 30, I started my baby in daycare and returned to my job. They were obviously relieved to see me, if relief can be measured by the sheer amount of crap they immediately piled on my plate (four BMP plans, three SPCC plans, two WM plans, an MS4 permit, a meeting with ADEM in Gadsden, and a partridge in a pear tree). I had enough hoarded projects to keep me busy for the next three months, but they all ended up being due last week and this coming week. Because of course they were.

I'm still adjusting to the schedule of pumping, going over to feed Aerin, and still working a full 8-hour day. I'd forgotten how much time pumping at work actually takes. Once you wash your hands, sit down, unpack and hook up everything, pump, pack up the milk, and wash everything, you're in for a good 30 minutes. Throw in a trip to the daycare, and you're already down two hours that have to be made up later. It's hard to keep up and it's hard to take a break from working just as you're hitting your stride.

To complicate things even more, after a year and a half of muttering about it, I've finally gone part-time. I'm only supposed to be in the office three days each week: Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday. I say supposed to because my second week back, I worked every day just to get finished. That also happened to be the same week Todd went and LEFT TOWN for a business trip. Because of course it was scheduled for my second week back, WHY NOT? Thank god Linda was able to stay with us, because otherwise, I'd have given up that first night.

So far, when I actually stick to it, the part-time deal is working mostly as intended. It will work better once I'm no longer pumping or going to the daycare to nurse, but hey. It's a system that's still evolving. I've been able to do the grocery shopping and laundry and some cleaning during the week, so our last few weekends have been less shit-tastic on the domestic front. We've been able to spend time with kids, instead of dragging them through various stores and chores, so that's a good thing.

And look! Today they're both asleep at the same time! If I skip my shower, I might be able to finish this post, check my email, write some thank you notes, AND maybe upload some pictures. Dude, it's like a little vacation. A vacation where you've forgotten your shampoo and your razor.

Pictures-I've-been-hoarding time!

3 Months

Weight: Five fat rolls on each thigh. FIVE.
 

Length: TBA
 

New Likes:

• Mortimer the Moose
• swings
• mirrors
• playing peek-a-boo (no object permanence! Mommy just appears out of nowhere! yay!)
• the toys and music on the bouncy seat
• being carried in the Moby wrap

 

New Dislikes:

• bottles (OH THE BETRAYAL WHYYYYYY)
• people who try to give her bottles
• milk from bottles
• anything food-like that is not boob
• tummy time (OH THE BETRAYAL WHYYYYYY)

 

Still Loves:

• MILKS!!!11!!1!!! (but not from bottles, YOU JERKS)
• riding in the car
• baths
• her brother

 

New Skills:

• sleeping through the night, 9:30 PM to 6:30 AM, GLORY GLORY HALLELUJIA!
• sucking on her hands
• intentionally grabbing things
• laughing, except it's more of a drawn-out coo
• head control when held upright

  

Comparison

Here is a rather unflattering photo of Aerin at nearly 13 weeks:

And here is a rather unflattering photo of Micah at 20 weeks, wearing the EXACT SAME OUTFIT.

Milkhogs McGee at the top there clearly has the edge in jowls, but Micah definitely has her beat for eyelashes.

Rocking Chair

Three Years

On Monday, this kid had a birthday.

Saturday evening, we had a small party with his Aunt Liz, Uncle Josh, Daniel, Alex, Aunt Jessica, Grandmama, and Grandpa.

On Monday morning, we made cupcakes and courted salmonella. Later, Todd and I brought the cupcakes and some watermelon (Micah's favorite fruit) for the afternoon daycare snack. I forgot my camera, so the evidence is in Todd's iPhone, but the kids all had fun.

Micah is so much fun these days. He has such an amazing imagination; he's always coming up with new games or funny stories. He talks NONSTOP about EVERYTHING. He can identify and name nearly every piece of construction equipment one might encounter. He loves trucks, trains, and his baby doll. His most important comfort object is Lubby, his half-bear half-blanket, but he also sleeps every night in a twin-sized bed with a stuffed dog named Granite, my old gloworm, a cat beanie baby, Mr. Rabbit, Baby, Tooli the nightlight, and his blue blanket with the ducks. He loves being outside, especially if it involves digging in dirt. He's scared of live bugs. He likes to put his face in the water in the bathtub, but only recently got over a fear of the swimming pool. He can walk a mile and a half before he gets tired. He loves to sing, and can actually carry a tune. He still sings the fourth verse of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" as "Micah diamond in the sky." He can be maddeningly cautious or alarmingly reckless, depending on the activity. He's scared of storms, but loves stomping in puddles. He can navigate the iPad to find his favorite games and is a huge fan of watching truck videos on YouTube. He can finally get on and off the potty all by himself, although he still requires a little help getting down at night. He calls the Huntsville Saturn V "my rocket." He likes to hear the names of the roads we're driving on, and he remembers several of them. He still likes to direct where we're going, and has recently developed the habit of back-seat driving. His launch countdowns for his space shuttle go from 1 up to 13.

I could go on and on, but Aerin's waking up, so I'll just sum it up: this kid is awesome.

And now he's three.